U.S. patent application number 13/306939 was filed with the patent office on 2013-05-30 for bar clamp with device for fastening slide bar of another bar clamp.
The applicant listed for this patent is Wei-Li Chen. Invention is credited to Wei-Li Chen.
Application Number | 20130134642 13/306939 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48466114 |
Filed Date | 2013-05-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130134642 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Wei-Li |
May 30, 2013 |
Bar clamp with device for fastening slide bar of another bar
clamp
Abstract
A bar clamp is provided with a slide bar; a movable housing on
the slide bar and including a movable jaw carrier including a first
jaw at one end, a handgrip, and a trigger handle; a housing member
releasably mounted on the slide bar and including a fixed jaw
carrier and a second jaw; and a cam type fastening device on fixed
jaw carrier. In an inoperative position thin portions of cam rings
are locked allow a slide bar of another bar clamp to freely pass
through the fastening device. A clockwise pivotal movement of a
lever locks thick portions of the cam rings to fasten the slide bar
of another bar clamp.
Inventors: |
Chen; Wei-Li; (Taichung,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Chen; Wei-Li |
Taichung |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
48466114 |
Appl. No.: |
13/306939 |
Filed: |
November 29, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
269/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25B 5/068 20130101;
B25B 5/003 20130101; B25B 5/006 20130101; B25B 5/166 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
269/6 |
International
Class: |
B25B 5/16 20060101
B25B005/16; B25B 5/06 20060101 B25B005/06; B25B 5/02 20060101
B25B005/02 |
Claims
1. A bar clamp comprising: a slide bar; a movable housing slidably
mounted on the slide bar and comprising a movable jaw carrier
including a first jaw at one end, a handgrip extending opposite to
the movable jaw carrier, and a trigger handle pivotably disposed in
the movable housing; a housing member releasably mounted on a
forward end of the slide bar and comprising a fixed jaw carrier and
a second jaw at one end of the fixed jaw carrier; and a fastening
device comprising a through hole formed through the fixed jaw
carrier; a cylindrical urging assembly disposed through the through
hole and including a first member having a lengthwise first groove,
and a second member having a lengthwise second groove, the second
member being a mirror of the first member and spaced from the first
member by a gap; and a cam assembly including two arc members
wherein one arc member is formed besides one end of the through
hole and the other arc member is formed between the other end of
the through hole, and a cam member including two spaced, opposite
cam rings each having a first portion and a second portion opposing
the first portion and larger than the first portion, and a lever
formed with the cam rings, wherein each cam ring has an eccentric
outer surface, the cam member is put on projecting portions of the
first and second members with the cam rings being pivotably
contacted the arc members, in an inoperative position the first
portions of the cam rings are lockingly engaged with the arc
members to allow a slide bar of another bar clamp to freely pass
through the first and second grooves, and a clockwise pivotal
movement of the lever from the inoperative position lockingly
engages the second portions of the cam rings with the arc members
by drawing the first member toward the second member, thereby
fastening the slide bar of another bar clamp.
2. A bar clamp comprising: a slide bar; a movable housing slidably
mounted on the slide bar and comprising a movable jaw carrier
including a first jaw at one end, a handgrip extending opposite to
the movable jaw carrier, and a trigger handle pivotably disposed in
the movable housing; a housing member releasably mounted on a
forward end of the slide bar and comprising a fixed jaw carrier and
a second jaw at one end of the fixed jaw carrier; and a fastening
device comprising an externally threaded extension formed on the
fixed jaw carrier; a truncated conic through hole formed through
the externally threaded extension; a truncated conic urging
assembly movably disposed in the through hole and including a first
member having a lengthwise first groove, and a second member having
a lengthwise second groove, the second member being a mirror of the
first member and spaced from the first member by a gap; and a
fastening member including an internally threaded hole threadedly
secured to the externally threaded extension, a lever, and an
inwardly extending rim on one end of the internally threaded hole,
the inwardly extending rim having an inner diameter less than an
outer diameter of the truncated conic urging assembly so that the
truncated conic urging assembly is prevented from disengaging from
the truncated conic through hole, wherein in an inoperative
position a slide bar of another bar clamp is allowed to freely pass
through the first and second grooves; and wherein a clockwise
rotation of the lever from the inoperative position drives the
internally threaded hole to push the truncated conic urging
assembly further into the truncated conic through hole by the
inwardly extending rim, thereby drawing the first member toward the
second member to fasten the slide bar of another bar clamp.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to bar clamps and more particularly to
a bar clamp having a fastening device for temporarily fastening the
slide bar of another bar clamp.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Clamps of various types have been available for a long time
and are used in many applications where it is necessary to hold two
or more objects together temporarily. A common problem associated
with the use of clamps is that the objects may not be clamped
firmly by the jaws. Further, it may sometimes be necessary to use a
fixture or other temporary holding device to retain the objects in
position so that the desired clamp can be used. However, this is
cumbersome and also time consuming.
[0005] What needed is a clamp (e.g., bar clamp) which is convenient
and efficient to use in clamping two or more objects together. The
invention discussed below aims to meet the need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a bar
clamp comprising a slide bar; a movable housing slidably mounted on
the slide bar and comprising a movable jaw carrier including a
first jaw at one end, a handgrip extending in a direction opposing
the movable jaw carrier, and a trigger handle disposed in front of
the handgrip, one end of the trigger handle being pivotably
disposed in the housing; a housing member releasably mounted on a
forward end of the slide bar and comprising a fixed jaw carrier and
a second jaw at one end of the fixed jaw carrier; and a fastening
device comprising a through hole formed through the fixed jaw
carrier; a cylindrical urging assembly disposed through the through
hole and including a first member having a lengthwise first groove,
and a second member having a lengthwise second groove, the second
member being a mirror of the first member and spaced from the first
member by a gap; and a cam assembly including two arc members
wherein one arc member is formed besides one end of the through
hole and the other arc member is formed between the other end of
the through hole, and a cam member including two spaced, opposite
cam rings each having a first portion and a second portion opposing
the first portion and larger than the first portion, and a lever
formed with the cam rings, wherein each cam ring has an eccentric
outer surface, the cam member is put on projecting portions of the
first and second members with the cam rings being pivotably
contacted the arc members, in an inoperative position the first
portions of the cam rings are lockingly engaged with the arc
members to allow a slide bar of another bar clamp to freely pass
through the first and second grooves, and a clockwise pivotal
movement of the lever lockingly engages the second portions of the
cam rings with the arc members by drawing the first member toward
the second member to fasten the slide bar of another bar clamp.
[0007] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description taken with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a bar clamp according to a
first preferred embodiment of the invention in an inoperative
position;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the bar clamp except the
housing and its components;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the right top portion of FIG.
1 with a slide bar of another bar clamp loosely disposed through
the urging assembly;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the lever being
clockwise pivoted about 135-degree to fasten the slide bar;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing two bar clamps being
mounted on a workbench ready for work;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the right side portion of FIG.
1 but showing another configuration of the fastening device which
is disposed on an end of an extension opposite to the fixed jaw
carrier;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a right side portion of a bar
clamp according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention
in an inoperative position;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG.
7;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing a slide bar of
another bar clamp loosely passing through the urging assembly;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing the lever being
clockwise pivoted to cause the urging assembly to fasten the slide
bar; and
[0018] FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but showing another
configuration of the fastening device which is disposed on an end
of an extension opposite to the first fixed jaw carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a bar clamp in accordance with a
first preferred embodiment of the invention comprises the following
components as discussed in detail below.
[0020] A slide bar 10 is configured as a flat bar and has a forward
through hole 11. A movable housing 20 is slidably mounted on the
slide bar 10 and comprises a movable jaw carrier 21 including a
first jaw 22 at one end, a handgrip 23 extending in a direction
opposing the movable jaw carrier 21, and a trigger handle 24
extending in the direction opposing the movable jaw carrier 21 and
being forward of the handgrip 23, one end of the trigger handle 24
being pivotably disposed in the housing 20.
[0021] A housing member 30 is disposed on the slide bar 10 and
comprises a transverse threaded hole 33, a longitudinal channel 34
shaped to complementarily receive the slide bar 10 and intersecting
the threaded hole 33, a threaded fastener 35 driven through the
threaded hole 33 and the through hole 11 to fasten the housing
member 30 and the slide bar 10 together, an extending fixed jaw
carrier 31, and a second jaw 32 at one end of the fixed jaw carrier
31 facing the first jaw 22.
[0022] A fastening device 40 comprises a through hole 41 formed
through the fixed jaw carrier 31 adjacent the second jaw 32; a
cylindrical urging assembly 42 disposed through the through hole 41
and including a first member 421 having a lengthwise groove 424a, a
second member 422 having a lengthwise groove 424b, the second
member 422 being a mirror of the first member 421, and a gap 423
defined between the first member 421 and the second member 422; and
a cam assembly 43 including two arc members 431 wherein one arc
member 431 is formed between the second jaw 32 and one end of the
through hole 41 and the other arc member 431 is formed between the
second jaw 32 and the other end of the through hole 41, and a cam
member 432 including two spaced, opposite cam rings 4322 and a
lever 4321 formed with and interconnecting the cam rings 4322.
[0023] The width of the cam ring 4322 is not uniform. That is, the
cam ring 4322 has a wide portion, an opposite narrow portion, and
two intermediate portions each progressively formed between the
wide portion and the narrow portion. A gap defined between the cam
rings 4322 is substantially equal to the length of the through hole
41 so that the cam member 432 can be put on the projecting portions
of the urging assembly 42 to have its cam rings 4322 rotatably
contacting the arc members 431.
[0024] In an inoperative position (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the lever
4321 is substantially aligned with the fixed jaw carrier 311 and
the narrow portions of the cam rings 4322 are lockingly engaged
with the arc members 431. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, one bar clamp
is secured to a workbench 60 and another bar clamp 50 having its
slide bar 51 passing through the fastening device 40 of one bar
clamp. That is, the loose slide bar 51 of another bar clamp 50
passes through the grooves 424a, 424b (see FIG. 3).
[0025] Further, a person may pivot the lever 4321 clockwise from
the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 (i.e.,
a pivot angle of about 135-degree). After the pivoting, the wide
portions of the cam rings 4322 lockingly engage with the arc
members 431 with the first member 421 and the second member 422
drawn toward each other by the inward pushing force of the cam
rings 4322. Thus, the width of the gap 423 is decreased to a
minimum. As a result, the slide bar 51 is fastened by the first and
second members 421, 422 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Therefore, the person
may push the jaws of another bar clamp 50 to clamp a workpiece (not
shown) disposed therebetween prior to working.
[0026] To the contrary, an operation of the lever 4321 reversing
above can loosen the slide bar 51. In another configuration (see
FIG. 6), the fastening device 40 can be disposed on an end of an
extension 312 opposite to the fixed jaw carrier 312.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 11, a bar clamp in accordance with a
second preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The
characteristics of the second preferred embodiment are
substantially the same as that of the first preferred embodiment
except the fastening device 40a as detailed below.
[0028] The fastening device 40a is mounted at a portion of an
extending fixed jaw carrier 31a of a housing member 30. The fixed
jaw carrier 31a is implemented as either a first fixed jaw carrier
311a in one configuration (see FIG. 7) or a first fixed jaw carrier
311a and an extension 312a opposing the first fixed jaw carrier
311a in the other configuration (see FIG. 11). The fastening device
40a comprises an externally threaded extension 45 on the fixed jaw
carrier 31 adjacent the second jaw 32; a truncated conic through
hole 44 through the externally threaded extension 45; a truncated
conic urging assembly 42a movably disposed in the through hole 44
and including a first member 425 having a lengthwise groove 424a, a
second member 426 having a lengthwise groove 424b, the second
member 426 being a mirror of the first member 425, and a gap 423a
defined between the first member 425 and the second member 426; and
a fastening member 46 including an internally threaded hole 461, an
inwardly extending rim 462 on the mouth of the internally threaded
hole 461, and a lever 463. The internally threaded hole 461 is
threadedly secured to the externally threaded extension 45. The rim
462 has an inner diameter less than an outer diameter of the
truncated conic urging assembly 42a so that the truncated conic
urging assembly 42a is prevented from disengaging from the through
hole 44.
[0029] In an inoperative position (see FIGS. 7, 8 and 9), the lever
463 is substantially aligned with the fixed jaw carrier 31a. As
shown in FIG. 9, another bar clamp having its slide bar 51 passing
through the urging assembly 42a of one bar clamp. In detail, the
loose slide bar 51 passes through the grooves 424a, 424b.
[0030] Further, a person may pivot the lever 463 clockwise from the
position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10 by
driving the internally threaded hole 461 along the externally
threaded extension 45 in a direction of decreasing the distance
between the fastening member 46 and the fixed jaw carrier 31a. And
in turn, the urging assembly 42a is pushed further inward the
through hole 44 by the rim 462 until the fastening member 46 is
stopped by the fixed jaw carrier 31a. The inward moving urging
assembly 42a may decrease the gap 423a to a minimum. As a result,
the slide bar 51 is fastened by the first and second members 425,
426 (see FIG. 10). Therefore, the person may use the clamps to work
on a workpiece (not shown).
[0031] To the contrary, an operation of the lever 463 reversing
above can loosen the slide bar 51. In another configuration, the
fastening device 40 can be disposed on an end of an extension 312a
opposite to the first fixed jaw carrier 311a.
[0032] While the invention has been described in terms of preferred
embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
invention can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *